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Defense Wall
The Defense Wall'Unofficial name. is a recurring boss in the ''Contra series. It is a tall, heavily armed metal structure that usually guards the entrance to an underground enemy base. It's one of the most iconic bosses in the series and appears in almost every game, usually as a boss or a miniboss in one of the earlier stages. Description The Defense Wall is a tall metal structure mounted with two blaster cannons and a sniping spot at its top. In the middle of the wall, toward the bottom, there's a glowing energy core which acts as the building's weak spot. Depending on the game, other snipers may eventually replace their fallen comrades. While on early installments the core remained passive during encounters, starting from Contra 4 it was given the ability to project a powerful energy beam, a trait that has remained for most of its incarnations in following titles, introducing a 'risk versus reward' factor while fighting it. Furthermore, some recent titles have dismissed the "wall" or "fort" from its name in favor to consider the whole structure as a hi-tech cannon, giving it names such as '''Wave/Shock Cannon. Appearances ''Contra'' (arcade) In this version, the blaster cannons are individually known as Destroi and they shoot energy bombs in a slight arcing pattern. They can be destroyed separately and the sniper does not respawn, leaving the wall defenseless. ''Contra'' (NES) The wall fires from its blaster cannons, the projectiles fall to the ground in an arcing motion. The sniper will shoot the player much more accurately. While the sniper can be killed, another one will take his place shortly afterward. There's also a turret on the hill in front of the wall that poses the same threat as the sniper, except that it will not respawn. ''Contra III: The Alien Wars Called in this game, it is a green, mid-sized variant of the ''Contra arcade version and attacks almost the same way, except enemies can come from offscreen. In the Game Boy port, Contra: The Alien Wars, the wall lacks the two cannons, and instead of a sniper it has a Grenade Thrower on top. ''Contra: Legacy of War Encountered midway through the first stage and featuring some modifications; instead of being a vertical structure, the wall is constructed in a horizontal fashion and through a pathway, acting more as a blockade. Its two blasters are affixed to each side of the structure, one on the left and one on the right, and a sniper is positioned at the top, shooting through a small emplacement made for this purpose. Killing the sniper will destroy the whole structure and allow further progress into the level. Contra: Shattered Soldier The explosions from the bombs cover a much wider area, making this version a bigger threat. The sniper also respawns in this version. Enemies stream in from offscreen as well. This version only has one blaster cannon to deal with. Contra 4 This version has two phases: ;Phase 1 Acts almost exactly as the ''Contra arcade version; however, it can now fire a large laser beam straight ahead from its core. ;Phase 2 Once the core has been destroyed, the entire wall unexpectedly erupts from the ground, revealing a second core. The first core also regenerates, requiring the player to destroy both of them to defeat the wall. The bottom half acts just like phase one, but the top half has four snipers rather than one. Both cores can fire the laser now and could potentially catch an inattentive player off guard. The Contra Force transport helicopter also arrives in this phase, allowing the player to cling onto it with their grappling hook to fight the upper core easier. ''Contra ReBirth Behaves exactly like its ''Contra III incarnation. After its defeat it falls backward, creating a ramp for the player to reach the road remnants above it and advance. ''Hard Corps: Uprising The Defense Wall appears twice in this game. ;First encounter The blaster cannons are non-functional but the wall retains the laser attack from ''Contra 4. An extra gun is added, allowing it to fire another laser at the higher platform. The sniper does not respawn if killed. The bottom laser is thicker and therefore more dangerous. ;Second encounter The bottom laser is replaced with large, fast moving energy projectiles. The sniper respawns if killed. ''Contra: Return In this game, the '''Wave Cannon' displays the same attack patterns as in previous games, but the fight is divided in two phases. When one story of the wall is destroyed, another one will emerge to continue the battle. When defeated, the Wave Cannon sinks straight under the ground where it arose and explodes. Gallery Gunner Wall - 03.png|''Contra'' (arcade) Gunner Wall - 04.png|''Contra'' (NES) Gunner Wall - 01.png|''Contra'' (MSX2) Gunner Wall - 02.png|''Contra III: The Alien Wars'' Gunner Wall Gameboy.png|''Contra: The Alien Wars'' Gunner Wall - 05.png|''Contra: Legacy of War'' Wall Contra Shattered Soldier.png|''Contra: Shattered Soldier'' Gunner Wall - 06.png|''Contra 4'' Gunner Wall Contra_Evolution.png|''Contra: Evolution'' 3583xContra-Hard-Corps-Uprising-03.jpg|''Hard Corps: Uprising'' Defense Wall Rebirth.png|''Contra ReBirth'' return wall.png|''Contra: Return'' Defense Wall Rogue Corps.png|''Contra: Rogue Corps'' Trivia *There are also similar-looking alien barriers and walls that only appear in C: The Contra Adventure. *Despite the blaster cannons being present in the Hard Corps: Uprising version, the wall doesn't use them during combat. See also *Hangar Defense System *Outer Defense System References Footnotes Category:Defense systems Category:Contra bosses Category:Contra 4 bosses Category:Contra Advance bosses Category:Evolution bosses Category:Legacy of War bosses Category:ReBirth bosses Category:Return bosses Category:Rogue Corps enemies Category:Shattered Soldier bosses Category:The Alien Wars bosses Category:The Alien Wars (GB) bosses Category:Uprising bosses